Manzi left business computing for his dream in filmmaking

Allan Manzi is a film director, producer, writer and editor of film and television. His journey began in 2011. He had just completed a Bachelor’s degree in Business Computing at Makerere University Business School, Nakawa.

He was happy to attain the degree, but happier to follow what his heart yearned for. He wanted to do the Arts.
“Since my childhood I had wanted the Arts and I was a keen follower. Even while in high school at Uganda Martyrs Secondary School, Namugongo, I was active in theatre. My father was a businessman in Kikuubo, a business hub downtown Kampala. He always told me to prioritise education to have ‘something’ to present to the world,” Manzi recalls.

Later, he made acquaintances in the sector and after school, he started working for a production company called Pearl Digital. 

“I worked there for a few months and I was trusted to handle their cameras. Someone at Maisha Film Lab that I met,  encouraged me not to look back. I have since then become a filmmaker,” Manzi recollects, adding that he took interest in films that won Oscar awards.

He premiered Alisha, his first work on NTV.  He then went to the US where he pursued a Master’s in Television Production after which he got an internship at  NBC Television.

“As an intern, I used to have TV shows and talk shows.  It opened up my eyes that I could do this not to pursue a career in the US but back home. So, I made Rehema, a short film in 2017 when I returned and it scooped several awards,” he says.

On his short film
“I was born and raised in Kawempe, on the outskirts of  Kampala. Rehema was a young girl forced into a situation that she was not happy with. So, that tug of war to show her independence against her parents was appreciated by many,” he narrates. 

He had written it in Luganda but many African countries appreciated the fact that it was  true African content. It boost his courage that he could make it.

Boom big project
After spending a few months in Uganda,  Manzi got his first big project Kyaddala in 2018. 
“I created and wrote it. It worked out and I am now working on part two,” he shares.

Manzi is now working on Junior’s Drama Club (JDC) which is airing on Multichoice’s Pearl Magic. It scooped the Best Television Drama series at the just concluded Uganda Film Festival (UFF) under the auspices of Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).

“One episode is an hour. For the TV, it is 25 minutes. When we did the pilot, we uploaded it on YouTube. We did not know about Pearl Magic. I was advised to submit a proposal to Pearl Magic. I did not hear from them for six months,” he says adding: “I want African content to be represented as much as possible… Not just a pretence of an African village or a language but a true picture of Africa.”

In his craft, his focus is to get the story complete, and he is achieving that with JDC. 
“I am trying to take the story back to the national drama competition we used to have,” he adds. The film enthusiast says as he goes along, he works with some good actors and actresses who he appreciates for different traits that make them unique.

The best actress and actor? 
It is a tough question to single out his best actress but is quick to say that Natasha Sinayobe is undoubtedly Uganda’s best. And, when asked why Manzi thinks she takes the crown, he explains that she has a unique ability to wear a character on stage which is not hers in real life which is incomparable. 

“She is among those people who add extra spirit to their characters. That is why she is my favourite actress. Patrick Nkakalukanyi is my favourite actor. He has that school of thought to act. He can tell you how to approach each character. Patrick is a school actor and yet he is self-trained. In that same line, I have Michael Wawuyo Jr. He is a genius,” the filmmaker adds.
 
On a feature film
On his to-do list is to put together his first feature film. 
“You cannot call yourself a filmmaker without a feature film under your titles. I have already written one but series projects keep coming my way.”

Manzi’s work
• Juniors Drama Club (JDC), TV Series writer 2021 
• Kyaddala TV Series creator (2019)
• Rehema, short film (2017)
• Broken Change short film producer (2014)
• Father Must Die short film writer (2014)

Switching
“Since my childhood I had wanted the Arts and I was a keen follower of the craft. Even while in high school at Uganda Martyrs Secondary School, Namugongo, I was active in theatre.

My father was a businessman in Kikuubo, a business hub downtown Kampala. He always told me to prioritise education to have ‘something’ to present to the world,” Allan Manzi, a filmmaker recalls.

Later, he made acquaintances in the sector and after school, he started working with Pearl Digital production company which catapulted him to a world of opportunities in his field of interest.